Crimson Streak
by Spanish Ninja Sneasel
Summary: The story of Muramasa and Shingo, told from the eyes of Masamune.


Author's notes: This story takes place before the episode "Wired For Battle", my favorite episode. Masamune is a wonderful Pokemon, and Shingo's one of my favorite characters, and I wanted to write a fic concerning the two. So this is my take on the story.  
  
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I am a legend... An icon to the world of battling. I have worked harder than most dare to in order to become so. I have spent years battling; conquering every opponent that I came across. The students, human and Pokemon alike, admire me. Through the eyes of most Pokemon, my life is all set out for me... Perfect. But never did I say that this was my goal.  
  
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Many years ago, when I was still a Scyther, I came across a trainer with a pure mind and true skill. While most trainers saw me only as a rare Pokemon and thus underestimated my powers, causing themselves defeat, Hitoshi was different. He was seeking the same thing I was: a strong opponent who could prove himself worthy. After a long, complicated battle against his Voltorb, I was caught.  
  
After joining Hitoshi, I learned that he wanted me not only for my fighting skills, but to test a theory. He once heard that exposing a Scyther to a metal coat made it stronger. He already had the metal coat, and so he spent months searching for a Pokemon like myself. I was equally fascinated with the idea; I could become more powerful... But how? What effect could it possibly have on a Pokemon as strong as a Scyther? Once the experiment was underway, the answer was given to me. It was a feeling that any Pokemon could recognize, whether they knew they were capable of it or not. I was evolving.  
  
I grew vastly in size, and my voice deepened. My entire body became covered in a red shell of armor. I turned my eyes to my trainer and let out a call in my new voice. "Scizor..."  
  
A smile crossed the young man's lips. "So, that is your name."  
  
I snapped the claws that I had developed through the transformation, examining their stability. I was a Scizor; one of the first of a very rare breed of Pokemon. Hitoshi seemed happy with my evolution, but neither one of us was certain of what I was truly capable of in this form.  
  
"Well," he crossed his arms and let out a small laugh. "We should have a test battle, shouldn't we?"  
  
_  
  
One last groan escaped his gaping mouth as the Golbat fell to the ground. His trainer watched, astonished, while the defeated Pokemon lay in the cloud of dust that was brought up from the previous battle. After getting over the shock of the loss, the trainer finally pulled out a Pokeball. "Return, Kaze."  
  
Hitoshi smirked upon his victory. "Come back to me," he called to me. He didn't seem to find any need to recall me to my Pokeball, since the battle wasn't very hard on me.  
  
"What kind of Pokemon is that, anyway?" the other trainer, who seemed a couple of years younger than Hitoshi, inquired.  
  
My eyes met those of my trainer's, and he smiled at me. "I'm just finding that out myself."  
  
The younger boy examined the two of us for a moment, then he walked over to us, extending a hand. "I must admit, that was a good battle."  
  
My trainer accepted his handshake. "I have to agree. I didn't even know that this Pokemon was capable of such a victory."  
  
"Well, a Pokemon of that stature deserves a name, I say. Kaze is my strongest Pokemon. That's why I chose it for this battle; I could tell that you wouldn't be easy to beat."  
  
"Thank you," he replied, "but you must remember that not all of the strength relies in the trainer; he and the Pokemon must work together in order to establish a team."  
  
"Yes. I feel the same way about Kaze," the other trainer closed his eyes briefly, then turned slightly. "Right now, I think I should treat him, though."  
  
Hitoshi nodded once and allowed the other trainer to head to town. Once his opponent was gone, he looked up to the clear sky. "Perhaps he is right. Maybe you should have a name other than your species."  
  
_  
  
From then on, we were an unstoppable team. He began to go by his last name, and I was known by my new name, We were Muramasa and Masamune. Our victories grew and we became known in the world of Pokemon training. Even when we made it to the Indigo Plateau, we had little difficulty winning. I became known among trainers as the Crimson Streak. As the years went on, our average of losing became thinner and thinner, until it completely diminished. With the experience we had, we could defeat any opponent. There were many other Pokemon/trainer teams, but only few had as strong of a bond and Hitoshi and I. We knew each other, and I became the one who understood him better than anyone. I was once a wild and independent Pokemon... I still was, to some extent. But training with Hitoshi and developing such a bond with him, I learned that he was the one that I could trust.  
  
As time passed, his other Pokemon began to give out, and some passed away. Hitoshi came to a decision: he would give his remanning Pokemon to breeders, or trainers that could handle them, and he and I would continue as a duo. I was his most reliable Pokemon, and even after so many years, was still a formidable fighter. But he and I both realized something... The challenge was gone, and with it, the excitement of battling. Shortly after he relieved the rest of his Pokemon, he started an exclusive training school. A school for Pokemon trainers who wanted to learn more about Pokemon battling than just how to win. He wanted to recapture the spirit of it; the spirit that seemed to escape us. It was that spirit that created true Pokemon masters.  
  
The school was successful; many young trainers devoted their skills to his classes, and Hitoshi and I were role models to them. We helped them develop true bonds with their Pokemon. Not one student in those classes was distant from their Pokemon. Seeing how the students learned so much from us was fulfilling, but it wasn't completely satisfying. We still longed for that spirit that left us so long ago. We still searched for a worthy challenger, but never found one that stood much of a chance.  
  
But there was one student that Hitoshi seemed to be particularly interested in. When Shingo first joined the classes, he wanted to learn everything he could from us. He admired me greatly, and Hitoshi even let him use me in battle occasionally. I respected the students greatly, but I didn't obey anyone as well as I obeyed Hitoshi. Shingo decided to catch a Scyther and evolve it into his own Scizor, so he could teach it in his own way. Blade became a very powerful Pokemon; it even defeated me. It was my first loss in years.  
  
Hitoshi was extremely impressed, and suggested that Shingo and Blade try to make their mark in the battling circles... Perhaps pursue the spot of a Gym Leader. But after establishing that Blade was more powerful than I was, Shingo took even more pride in his training, so much that it went to his head. Before long, defeating all of his peers and his teacher wasn't enough for him; he wanted to be able to defeat any trainer, no matter what their technique was. He began storing all of the information he collected from his battles with the other students a computer to help him determine the style and moves of every trainer by comparing them to the ones he had battled before. He gradually found other connections, and learned things about trainers he had never even met before, and how to defeat them. Over the course of a few months, he decided with the knowledge he had collected, he could defeat anyone. Blade hardly even left his Pokeball anymore, because Shingo found it pointless to even battle.  
  
Hitoshi was upset with this. Not only because he was losing his best student, but because it was all to familiar to him. Shingo had lost the essence of Pokemon battling, just as we had. But there was still hope of it returning to him if he just backed away from his electronic source of knowledge and relied solely on his true source. But no matter how much Hitoshi tried to persuade him, Shingo would not leave the high role he had established for himself. He didn't seem to realize just how much that could cost him. His power had gotten the best of him, and he was barely even the same person anymore.  
  
And now Hitoshi and I continue the endless search for someone who can bring back the spirit of battling, not only to us, but to Shingo. Being an undefeated icon is a role that many wish they could have, but few realize exactly what it brings. I hold the same concern that my trainer does... Please, let us find the trainer who will be the one to bring Shingo back. Save him from himself. 


End file.
